Department of Psychology
Dear Colleague: Thank you for your interest in the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability – Short Form. Below please find a copy of the 13-item Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale – Short Form. This form may be reproduced for use in your research. To score the MC, assign values of T=1 F=2, then reverse score the following items: 5, 7, 9, 10, 13, where, T=2, F=1. Sum the items. A high score indicates a social desirability response tendency. To double check your scoring, it is advisable to enter the item data with the rest of your results into the computer and run a reliability analysis checking the item-total scale correlations (all should be positive, with negative typically indicating an error in reverse scoring). Because of the nature of the construct and measure, internal consistency reliability is typically in the low .70s to low .80 range. This form has been used in quite a few published research studies by other researchers (I do not keep up with who uses it). It has become public domain – you do not need my permission to use the measure. Furthermore, please note that I am not the author of the scale, Crowne and Marlowe are the authors. I simply provided some empirical evidence to suggest that a shortened form of their original 33-item scale was viable as a quick measure of social desirability. You may cite my 1982 article as the source for the short form of this measure. I wish you well in your research endeavor.
Sincerely,
William M. Reynolds, Ph.D. Professor Department of Psychology Humboldt State University Arcata, California 95521 Tel: (707) 826-3162 Fax: (707) 826-4993 email:
[email protected] web page: http://www.humboldt.edu/~psych/fs/reynolds/reynolds.htm
W. M. Reynolds
1982 CMSDS-Short Form
Personal Reaction Inventory
Listed below are a number of statements concerning personal attitudes and traits. Read each item and decide how it pertains to you. Please respond either TRUE (T) or FALSE (F) to each item. Indicate your response by circling the appropriate letter next to the item. Be sure to answer all items.
1.
It is sometimes hard for me to go on with my work if I am not encouraged.
T
F
2.
I sometimes feel resentful when I don’t get my way.
T
F
3.
On a few occasions, I have given up doing something because I thought too little of my ability.
T
F
There have been times when I felt like rebelling against people in authority even though I knew they were right.
T
F
5.
No matter who I’m talking to, I’m always a good listener.
T
F
6.
There have been occasions when I took advantage of someone.
T
F
7.
I’m always willing to admit to it when I make a mistake.
T
F
8.
I sometimes try to get even rather than forgive and forget.
T
F
9.
I am always courteous, even to people who are disagreeable.
T
F
10. I have never been irked when people expressed ideas very different from my own.
T
F
11. There have been times when I was quite jealous of the good fortune of others.
T
F
12. I am sometimes irritated by people who ask favors of me.
T
F
13. I have never deliberately said something that hurt someone’s feelings.
T
F
4.
